In celebration of Friday the 13th, we’ve rounded up 13 of the spookiest, most spine-chilling stops across the United States. From eerie cemeteries to haunted Inns, these destinations are perfect for thrill-seekers, paranormal enthusiasts, or anyone who loves a good scare.
1. Aquia Episcopal Church - Stafford, VA
Experience on: Charming Curiosities
Aquia Episcopal Church may look peaceful, but don’t let the colonial charm fool you. This place has a seriously chilling past. Built in 1751 and once visited by folks like Thomas Jefferson and George Mason, it is now better known for its ghosts than its guests.
Legend says a young blonde woman was murdered in the mid-1700s and hidden in the church’s vestry. Her body was discovered decades later. Although the bloodstains were eventually sealed under concrete, her spirit never left.
Today, visitors and church members report eerie footsteps, panicked running, groans, and desperate cries. Some swear they have seen a pale figure drifting through the windows, wandering the balcony, or roaming the graveyard. One group of Civil War reenactors even saw strange flickering lights in the vestry, despite there being no electricity.
The church and cemetery are still open to visitors. Just maybe bring a flashlight and a friend.
2. ParaPeculiar - San Marcos, TX
Experience on: Strange & Spooky Sights
Step inside the old bank vault at Triple Six Social and you’ll find something far stranger than forgotten finances. The ParaPeculiar Museum is packed with haunted objects, eerie relics, and ghostly tales that will give you chills. Each item comes with a backstory, and visitors are even invited to “haunt” an object by channeling their bad vibes straight into it. Every corner of the museum has something unsettling to discover, making it one of the most interactive paranormal stops around.
The museum lives inside Triple Six Social, a gothic café, boutique, and bookshop where spooky vibes meet warm hospitality. Browse horror, true crime, and paranormal-themed books (all priced at $6.66), shop handcrafted oddities like incense, candles, and art, and try a themed latte like the “Poltergeist” or “Rose on a Grave.”
3. Old Joliet Prison - Joliet, IL
Experience on: Eerie Escapes
With its castle-like towers and grim past, Old Joliet Prison looks straight out of a horror movie...and honestly, it feels like one too. Built in 1858, this former prison once held infamous criminals like John Wayne Gacy and Richard Speck. But it’s the ghost stories that really keep people talking.
Visitors have heard phantom whistling, disembodied voices, and even a ghostly song near the convict cemetery, first reported way back in 1932. Shadow figures, cold spots, and sudden waves of dread are common, and some claim the rage and sorrow of former inmates still seep from the cell blocks.
Now open to the public, it’s a magnet for ghost hunters and brave souls looking to meet the prison’s most restless residents.
4. Batsto Village - Hammonton, NJ
Experience on: An Unusual Adventure
Batsto Village started as an iron-making hub in 1766, later dabbling in glassmaking and agriculture before slipping into abandonment....not once, but twice. Today, it’s a preserved historic site tucked deep in the eerie Pine Barrens.
But history isn’t the only thing lurking here. For decades, people have reported spine-chilling screams, strange tracks, and a creeping feeling that something is watching. Many believe the infamous Jersey Devil roams these woods, with Batsto sitting right in its stomping grounds.
Stroll the quiet village if you dare, but don’t be surprised if you feel invisible footsteps falling just behind your own.
5. Sachs Covered Bridge - Gettysburg, PA
Experience on: Secrets of Gettysburg
This historic bridge played a key role in the Civil War, with troops crossing it on their way to, and retreating from, the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. But today, it’s the ghosts that draw visitors.
Legend says three Confederate soldiers were hanged from the bridge, either as deserters or captured spies. Since then, people have reported full-body apparitions, phantom voices, mysterious pokes, and even the smell of pipe smoke hanging in the air.
Step carefully. The past feels very present here.
6. May-Stringer House - Brooksville, FL
Experience On: Offbeat Oddities
What began as a simple homestead in 1842 has turned into one of Florida’s most haunted houses. Built by John L. May and later expanded by Dr. Sheldon Stringer, the house saw love, loss, illness, and a whole lot of death. It’s rumored to have even served as a sanatorium for yellow fever and smallpox patients.
Today, ghost hunters say up to 11 spirits roam the halls. There’s the sweet but spooky child Jessie Mae, and the not-so-sweet “Mr. Nasty,” believed to have died under mysterious circumstances. Visitors report giggles, cold spots, cries from an unseen baby, and an overwhelming sense of unease, especially in the attic and near the cemetery.
This house may look charming, but the spirits inside are anything but.
7. Old Burial Hill Cemetery - Marblehead, MA
Experience on: Witchy Wonders
One of New England’s oldest graveyards, Old Burial Hill has been overlooking Marblehead since 1638. With sweeping views of the sea and the final resting place of around 600 Revolutionary War soldiers, it’s as hauntingly beautiful as it is eerie.
Wander past weathered stones carved with winged skulls and urns, but don’t be surprised if you feel like you’re not alone. Visitors have reported ghostly figures drifting through the mist, shadowy shapes between the headstones, and an eerie silence that settles heavy at dusk.
One of the most chilling tales involves the “Black Flash,” a cloaked figure said to dart between graves and vanish without a trace. Others speak of a woman in white who appears on foggy nights, gazing out toward the harbor before fading away.
8. Central State Hospital - Milledgeville, GA
Experience on: All Things Strange & Beautiful
Once the largest mental hospital in the world, this sprawling asylum opened in 1842 under the grim name “State Lunatic, Idiot, and Epileptic Asylum.” At its peak, it held nearly 12,000 patients, but with only one staff member for every hundred, treatment quickly turned to cruelty.
Patients were subjected to lobotomies, electroshock therapy, and insulin-induced comas. Children were caged. Adults were strapped into straitjackets. By the 1960s, the hospital was infamous not just for its size, but for the suffering inside its walls.
Today, many believe that suffering never left. Shadowy figures are seen roaming the decaying halls, disembodied screams echo through the tunnels, and flickering lights appear in rooms with no power. One of the most chilling tales involves a former nurse who vanished during her shift. Years later, her remains were found in the walls. Some say her ghost still wanders the building, forever making her rounds.
9. Southern Grace Distilleries - Mt Pleasant, NC
Experience on: Antique Adventures
Once a 1920s prison that held bootleggers, this place now makes the stuff they were locked up for, whiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka, and moonshine. Southern Grace Distilleries moved into the old Carrabus Correctional Center in 2016, but the ghosts never left.
Barrels now age where inmates once walked, and eerie activity fills the aging house. Visitors have heard phantom footsteps on the top floor, and ghost hunters say an old shower room triggers every sensor they have. Even the owner’s dog refuses to go near it.
Lights flicker on and off with no one around, cold spots drift through solitary cells, and whispered names have been caught on video. Shadowy figures have shown up in photos too. At Southern Grace, the spirits are in the bottles and in the halls.
10. Historic Auburn Courthouse - Auburn, CA
Experience On: The Explorer's Route
Built in 1898, this courthouse sits on top of what used to be a gold rush-era jail, sheriff’s office, and cemetery. One of its most infamous inmates? A bank robber and murderer with a grudge that may have lasted beyond the grave.
Visitors report the smell of cigar smoke and see window shades moving on their own. Some believe it’s the spirit of the outlaw, still pacing the grounds where he was once held.
11. The Bronze Lady Statue - Sleepy Hollow, NY
Experience on: Hudson River Hideaways
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery spans 90 eerie acres with nearly 46,000 souls buried since 1849. It’s peaceful during the day, but some corners hold more than just memories.
One of the most chilling legends centers around the Bronze Lady. The statue was commissioned by a grieving widow, who was furious over its sorrowful expression and oversized hands. When she demanded a happier version, the sculptor smashed his alternate design and refused to change the original.
Locals say the Bronze Lady cries if you get too close. Knocking on the mausoleum door may lead to disturbing dreams. Sitting in her lap has been linked to sightings of bloody tears, and anyone who dares insult her risks carrying a curse for life.
12. Loveland Castle - Loveland, OH
Experience on: Storybook Strolls
Loveland Castle, also known as Château Laroche, is a medieval-style fortress built by Harry Andrews starting in 1929. Inspired by European castles he admired during World War I, Andrews constructed the castle by hand, using stones from the Little Miami River and bricks formed in milk cartons.
But the castle's story doesn't end with its architecture. Visitors and staff have reported numerous paranormal occurrences. Many believe Andrews' spirit still lingers, with accounts of his ghostly figure seen wandering the halls. Objects have been known to move on their own, and some have heard unexplained voices.
Other spirits are said to inhabit the castle as well. A "White Lady" has been spotted near the riverbank, believed to be the ghost of a woman who died in a nearby explosion. There's also talk of a Viking apparition, possibly connected to one of the castle's artifacts.
13. Story Inn - Nashville, IN
Experience on: Cozy Country Charm
Tucked away in what was once a thriving logging village, the Story Inn has earned a reputation as one of Indiana’s most haunted spots. Built in the 1880s and now surrounded by quiet forest, this old inn is anything but still.
The most famous ghost is the Blue Lady, believed to be the wife of Dr. George Story. She’s known for flickering lights, moving objects, and whispering through the halls. Her presence is often marked by the scent of cherry tobacco, and she’s especially active in Room 2, better known as the Blue Lady Room. Brave guests have tried summoning her by switching on the blue light beside the bed.
Visitors have filled logbooks with tales of cold chills, strange noises, and unsettling encounters. Even the restaurant and bar have had their share of ghostly moments.
If you're into spirits of all kinds, the Story Inn just might be your perfect overnight stay.
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